1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to document monitors for monitoring document processing, and more specifically to a novel document monitor device that facilitates viewing and reading by an operator of not directly viewable bank statements during document processing, in particular, for instance, in a bank statement inserter machine used for the preparation of mailings of statements and associated checks to bank customers.
2. Prior Art and Other Considerations
Various bank statement processing machines are employed for high-volume preparation of mailings to bank customers. The mailings need to include the appropriate statement in association with thereto corresponding checks and often other documents. For instance, a bank statement processing machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,761.
In general, processing of checks requires particular reliability in the operation of processing equipment, in view of the strict need to preserve confidentiality. For example, checks destined for a specific bank customer should not be included by mistake with statements in mailings to another customer, and all checks corresponding to a bank statement should accompany the respective statement in the proper mail package. In view of the continually increasing need for handling and processing of higher quantities of mailings at high speeds and high throughput rates, reliability and speed requirements are becoming more and more stringent while the market simultaneously demands constantly increasing throughput rates.
In spite of the increasing sophistication of respective equipment, malfunctions occur, and even a rare malfunction or error of improper association of documents in a bank statement mailing is highly undesirable, particularly if it continues and sometimes proliferates unchecked, as is apt to happen in high-volume processing. Sophisticated error detection devices and methods have been employed to annunciate the occurrence of processing errors and/or to interrupt processing to permit an operator to resolve the problem. A common class of errors that can occur in processing of bank statement mailings involves association of wrong checks and statements, or missing checks in respect to the content of particular statements being processed for a mailing.
Whereas generally employed error detection devices and methods provide for error annunciation and often also for automatic stopping of processing machinery operation upon occurrence of an error, determination of the type of error and its cause and rectification thereof usually requires an operator to disassemble a portion of the machinery. Bank statement processing machines include inserters which bring together checks and other inserts in correlated manner with associated statements and bring these documents together for common insertion into an envelope for mailing to each particular customer.
In many bank statement processing machines, for good and important reasons, customers' statements are fed face down, particularly prior to and while being brought together with corresponding checks. Statements and checks are thusly assembled by deposition of the checks in face-up orientation onto a statement for subsequent common insertion into an envelope. Errors of the aforementioned kind are commonly detected at the locations of these operations. Therefore, it is desirable for an operator to be able to view and read statements at these locations upon occurrence of errors. However, such statements are readable only from therebeneath, unless the statements are removed from the machinery. Consequently, the operator needs first to gain access to and view and read the particular documents involved in an error situation in order to determine specifically what kind of error has occurred and what kind of corrective action to take. In the past, reading of the information on the face of bank statements by the operator has required removal of the (face-down) statement from the machine racetrack and/or access to internal regions of the machine, which generally involved disassembly and opening up of portions of the machinery and, hence, has resulted in substantial processing equipment downtime.
Video cameras have been employed in inserter machinery in the past to monitor delivery of inserts to inserting stations in the course of normal operation.
The document monitor device of the present invention alleviates difficulties of the aforementioned kind and significantly reduces processing equipment downtime due to processing errors by providing video monitoring facilities for an operator to view and read documents processed in face-down orientation in document processing machines; specifically upon occurrence of error conditions. In particular, the document monitor device of the invention is useful for thusly monitoring bank statements during occurrences of error conditions in operation of bank statement machines without need for removal of bank statements from the raceway or for disassembly of portions of the machine.
Accordingly, an important overall feature of the invention is the provision of a document monitor in a bank statement processing machine, including an inserter, the machine brings together checks and other inserts in correlated manner with an associated statement and assembles these documents for common insertion into an envelope for mailing to a particular bank customer, the bank statement processing machine being of the type in which statements are fed with at least the heading portion face down along a raceway prior to and during assembly with associated checks. In particular, an important overall feature of the invention is the provision of a bank statement monitor and a method of monitoring and viewing, upon occurrence of error conditions, at least a bank statement's heading portion that is otherwise not directly viewable without removal of the statement from the raceway or disassembly of a portion of the processing equipment.